Morning Discussion

I would, inspired by the launch of the Dawn of War II: Retribution beta, declare that this will definitely be the time I start properly practising multiplayer strategy games, but I've made that vow a dozen times before and it never seems to catch. One of my earliest video game memories is playing Doom II with a friend, him handling moving and me on aiming because neither of us could do both at once. First-person shooters are what I cut my teeth on and played heavily ever since; I can happily skip from game to game, knowing essentially what to do.

Strategy games, however, are something I've dabbled in from time to time, and do enjoy, but never really put the time into properly understanding. It's the constant multi-tasking and need for a long-term plan that get to me. I make stuff and send units places and see what happens. From the shallow waters of Command & Conquer to Civilization and into the deep, deep depths of terrifying historical grand strategy games, I mess about a bit and bungle through from minute to minute. While this is fun, it's rarely truly satisfying.

I would like to change this but it'll take so much time. So very much time. With no guarantee of success. And I have so very much other things I am, or should be, doing. Perhaps I'll try in a few decades, when my cybernetics are crippled by a nanobot attack and I'm left a wizened, housebound old crone.